The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-05-25

they can't get away. III they lived In the
East in poor houses, did without the comforts
of life, deprived themselves of everything
that makes life pleasant and dressed in the
poorest clothing, they might become i'm
mensely rich in few years. But it is worse
than dogs life, and very few enjoy it. 1t
don't pay. The colonies all advertise
city lot to every man that becomes perma-
nent settler. We know just what that
means, and the average greenhorn from
Vermont is sure of becoming owner of
valuable city lot at no distant day. We
took it all in, but we are not in possession
of any city lot.
The lady then describes how gov
eminent script for an eighty-acre town
site costing 5000 cannot be lawfully
used as town site unless bought of the
government and plated by regular en-
gineers. The city lots mentioned were
not so located, but the people were told
they could build on them. And they
did so, paying little regard to govern
ment regulations for living on their
land. Soon the sharper buys the
land of the government for town site,
commences proceedings against the
stolen TOWNSHIP people, and our prom
Used city lot has gone up and numerous
people who have not lived up to laws
of living on their land are in fair way
TO lose their claims. If one goes to
nol-oto or an m o,,, o+bor co,,o ~, -, ~
land, it won't be safe to monkey with
the governments laws very much, as
some land-sharp will take advantage
of it. This letter closes as follows:
1 intend to leave this promised land as
soon as possible, and am happy to say my
husband is of the same mind. We don't
intend that Johnnie shall grow up with the
country. Tell not my story to the winds,
but if you ever see that " fool send him to
Dakota next fall and we will take him in
l will now arise and proceed to my domestic
duties, which are to make some pan cakes
for dinner. l feel like saying, as the old
woman did to the deacon's prayer, instead
of "Amen," ooh Lord, give us some
potatoes"
Another letter, written under date of
April Sth, has the following:
You wonder how | can write so much.
You see / have no one but the children to
talk to, and we get so tired looking over the
same things (mostly wishing we were back
East that get so full l should burst if
could not let off steam. Writing is the
safety-valve. The snow is all
gone and the moisture soaked into the
ground, and for week we have had very
high winds-yesterday and to-day those hot
winds that scorch everything. The Their
mometer registers eighty degrees and we are
almost suffocated with heat and fiannels.
Not one drop of rain has fallen this spring
or the past winter, Two families are going
back to Vermont, and others would if they
could. You won't have this side of the
story in Mr.. IS letter, but it is true,
just the same. don't see any object in not
telling it just as it is, and l would not have
a friend of mine come here for anything.
The change socially is so great one cannot
feel contented. 1 have not had one hours
conversation since l came here. 1t is all
talk about claims " and what "isnt done"
The men have held down nail-kegs in the
grocery store until not one of them has a
whole pair of pants, and suppose they will
reSeat them in the same way next winter.
After speaking of some mans second
wife, she says:
l will haunt the woman who takes my
place, unless she lives in Dakota. That
would be punishment enough I have had
many nice long letters lately wishing us
back. They make me so homesick But
l don't like encouragement to stay that
makes me mad
These extracts are from letters writ
ten to friends with no thought of their
being published. They bear the i'm
press of truth, though the writer is
evidently much embittered against
Dakota. But they give pretty clear
picture of western life as shown by
woman's experience. Give us Yer
mont, with her hills and homes, rather
than Dakota, with her plains and sod
"shacks," and billiards. that freeze
cows teats while going for water. We
commend this picture of Dakota life to
the careful attention of those who have
contemplated bettering their condi-
ton by moving West.
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